"Okay, so chapter 7. Ichigo, I'm not sure if you are unconscious or not throughout this chapter. I'm winging it. Plus, things seem to go well when I wing them. Ichigo, are you listening to me? Ichigo?" Breezyfeather asks. Ichigo is silent, her breathing even.

"Kishu! Did you drug her for real?"

"You told me to use chloroform," he says defiantly. She slaps her head.

"You idiot! I said to get the chloroform so that I could lock it up away from you, you idiot!" she shouts. He puts his hands up.

"You're insanely lucky that anyone that could hurt you is still asleep and that I happened to break my golf club. Hey, Mint! Kishu drugged Ichigo,"Breezyfeather shouts. Kishu teleports out of the room while Mint appears, in her Mew Mew form. "He left. I'll let you kill him later."

"Okay. Read on."

NOTE I have no chloroform in my house or anywhere else. Sometimes, people just get over zealous.

break

"Ichigo, wake up. Koneko-chan," Kishu said, nudging Ichigo's shoulder slightly. She moaned and curled into a ball.

"I told you not to touch her shoulder. Do you have any idea how many injections I have given her?" Pai asked.

"No. What did you do to her anyway? It's like you broke her," Kishu complained. Ichigo twitched her ear to show that she was listening, but none of them noticed.

"That's what you get when you kidnap someone and then give them tons of shots and put them in a drug induced sleep. And when you punch her in the face every time she resists," Pai said expressionlessly. Kishu glared at him.

"So, what's your latest project with this? Why did you let her wake up," Tart asked. Kishu picked her up and she kicked out, making him drop her. Pai pressed a button and the collar around her neck shocked her. She yelped and got to her hands and knees. Pai grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet, then dragged her to a large plexiglass tube. She resisted, pulling against him.

"Get off me," she yelled, trying to kick him. He lashed out with his fist and caught her just below the eye. She cried out in pain, but continued to pull against him. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and refused to let him pull her. Then, he let go. She stumbled backward. Pai grabbed her again and pulled her forward before she had a chance to recover. He pushed her into the plexiglass tube, which was vertical, and closed the door and locked it. Ichigo bit her lip and then pounded on the glass.

"Let me go," she shouted, her voice bouncing back at her from inside the tube. She winced and raked her claws down the glass. Pai and the other walked over to a little control pad.

"This should induce the transformation, even without her kissing the pendant," Pai reported. He turned a dial to the first setting and Ichigo gasped as the tube began to glow. She felt a stab of pain in her chest and winced, clutching the fabric there. She crouched, grimacing, and trying to resist the transformation. Pai narrowed his eyes at her and turned the dial to the second setting.

She whimpered and let out strangled sounds of pain. She refused to cry and hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stop the pain. Pai turned the dial up two notches and she screamed. Kishu watched with anxiety as she continued to resist. Pai watched mercilessly and turned it one more time, and she screamed again. Then, her face relaxed, although her eyes were closed with tears leaking out and her lips were tilted down. "Kurai Strawberry, Metamorphosis," she whispered.

Pai's eyes widened in triumph while Tart and Kishu stared on in shock. Ichigo's tutu appeared and everything else was the same, except her pendant and necklace were black and her hair was pulled up into pigtails. Pai looked confused, and then he gasped. Ichigo screamed as two large, feathered appendages unfurled from her back. Kishu's eyes were wide, as were Tarts. Pai started punching commands into his computer. The light died and Ichigo landed on the floor of the tube, panting and tears falling from her eyes. She was on her hands and knees.

Pai walked over and opened the tube, then pulled Ichigo out. She grimaced, her whole body in pain. "Let go," she said, pulled her arm out of his grip. Then, the transformation came undone. Pai gasped and her hand instantly went to her neck. The collar wasn't there. She grinned and jumped away from him. A wave of dizziness from the drug washed over her, but she gritted her teeth and dove for the door.

"Catch her," Pai shouted. Tart and Kishu teleported to her side but she lashed out with her claws. Tart grabbed one of her wings and she winced, then slashed at him.

"Were the claws really necessary?" Tart complained, flying backward. Ichigo yanked the door open and stumbled out into the hallway, the drug making her clumsy.

"Ichigo, wait," Kishu called.

"No! I've had enough," Ichigo screamed, struggling to get to the end of the hall where there was a window. Kishu grabbed her but she threw him off, then bolted for the window. She looked back and saw Kishu and Tart coming after her, then she looked out the window. She was up five stories. She ruffled her feathers and bit her lip, then made a decision. She punched the glass out, making Kishu teleport to her side.

"No, you're not going anywhere," he shouted, grabbing her wrist.

"Let me go!"

"No! I'm not letting you leave!"

"Get used to it," she screamed.

"What's that supposed to mean," he shouted at her, his pupils getting small. Ichigo knew that he was going to go into destructive mode(so to speak) and backed away. He pulled her close to him and held her wrist up in the air. Her fearful eyes met his crazed ones. Tart looked from the Mew Mew to the alien nervously. "You are not going to leave me! Pai is doing all of this to you so that you can come back with me! So we can be together!"

"I don't want us to be together," Ichigo whispered. "I want to life on Earth, with my family and friends! I never wanted any of this!"

"Yeah, well, I do! Fine. I'll bring you back to Earth one last time. I'll let you see your friends one last time, and then you have to come back with me."

He picked her up bridal style. "Wait, Kishu! She doesn't have the collar. What if she escapes," Tart asked. Kishu glared at him.

"She won't try to escape. I'll be right there and she won't get away," Kishu reassured him, grinning. Ichigo gulped.

"Fine, but I'm coming, too. Just in case," Tart decided.

"Oh please. You don't even have a weapon thanks to your girlfriend," Kishu teased.

"Yes, I do. Pai made me a new one," Tart retorted, holding up a new set of click-clacks. Kishu sighed.

"Fine, you can come. Ichigo, don't try anything," Kishu hissed. Ichigo only nodded because she wanted to see her friends. She had a good feeling about this but didn't let it show on her face. "Hold on." He waited for her to tentatively wrap her arms around his neck. He tried to mast his shock at her actually holding onto him, and then he vanished with her. The three of them appeared right above the hotel where the Mew's were staying. Ichigo took her hands off of Kishu's neck and waited as he slowly descended.

He scanned the windows and finally found the one he was looking for. Ichigo looked through the glass hopefully, trying to refrain from making a noise. Tart peeked through also, then looked away because nothing inside interested him. Shirogane and Akasaka were both looking at a computer screen. Mint and Zakuro were flipping through a magazine while Lettuce was trying to calm Pudding down. Then, Kishu noticed a new girl. She had black hair which was tied up in pigtails and was wearing nothing but the color black. He looked her over and then glanced at Ichigo, who looked confused.

"Who's this?" he asked her.

"I don't know," Ichigo whispered. Did they replace me? Suddenly, she felt an electric shock jolt through her body. She screamed, attracting all of their attention.

"Ichigo? Ichigo," Mint cried, dashing to the window. Kishu glared at her and started upward, but a light distracted him.

"Mew Mew Mint! Mew Mew Pudding! Mew Mew Lettuce! Mew Mew Zakuro, Metamorphosis," four of the five girls cried.

"Mew Mew Tsuki, Metamorphosis," cried a new voice.

"Mew Mew Tsuki," Ichigo murmured sleepily, looking down with a glazed look in her eyes. Suddenly, Mint was pulling Ichigo out of Kishu's arms and then something barreled into him. He yelled and went flying while Tart started spinning his new click-clacks, then froze. One end of it hit him in the head and he yelped, then rubbed where it hit. His eyes were wide as he took in the flying Mew Mew.

"Kishu! There's a new Mew Mew," he shouted. Mint flew Ichigo over to the hotel window and landed inside.

"Zakuro, Lettuce, guard the window. Pudding, guard Ichigo. I've gotta go help Tsikiko," she announced, flying back out. Zakuro placed Ichigo on the bed, where Shirogane and Akasaka walked over.

"Hey, Ichigo. You're safe now. They're not taking you again," Shirogane reassured her. Pudding smiled at her while Lettuce and Zakuro turned, reluctantly, back to the window.

"Who's Tsuki," she asked sleepily. Akasaka placed a hand on her forehead and then yanked it back.

"She's got a high fever," he reported.

"Her name is Tsikiko. Tsuki is just her Mew Mew name," Shirogane explained, walking over to the kitchen to find a thermometer. Tart appeared inside the hotel room and Lettuce gasped, turning.

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush," she cried, and Tart vanished with a yell. Shirogane put the thermometer in Ichigo's mouth and she looked up at him, dazed. A few seconds later, he took it back and looked at her temperature.

"103. That's not good," he said.

"We can't take her to a doctor right now, since not even we know what they did to her," Akasaka reminded him. Pudding looked between the three of them nervously. Kishu appeared inside the hotel room next, looking intent on recovering his cat. Ichigo's eyes found his and were suddenly alight with fear. She whimpered and turned away from him, curling into a ball. They all caught sight of her wings and gasped except for Kishu. They shook, along with the rest of her, and Kishu actually looked hurt.

"I'm gonna kill Pai for making her like this," he muttered.

"You helped! You were the one who kidnapped her in the first place. Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"

"Ribbon Zakuro Spear!"

Kishu growled and vanished, reappearing outside. Tsikiko glared at him and held her hand up above her head.

"Dark Piercer," she said, and a wand topped with bat wings attached to a red ruby shaped like a diamond appeared in her hand. Tart and Kishu's eyes widened while Mint grinned.

"Minto Arrow," she cried.

"Ribbon Tsuki Shower," Tsikiko shouted. A mass of silvery bats and sparkles erupted from the wand and shot toward Kishu and Tart, both who looked shocked and angry.

"Ribbon Minto Echo," Mint yelled, taking aim and firing. Tart and Kishu yelled as Tsikiko's attack reached them, and then they teleported away. Mint's arrow shot right through the place where Kishu's chest had been a millisecond before and she hissed. "Next time, Kishu, you won't be going back," she whispered, flying over to the hotel room window.

Tsikiko teleported inside, now able to do that. It had been a few days, after all, of constant training. Tsikiko was glad it paid off. She and Mint walked over to Ichigo's side. Ichigo smiled at Mint and Tsikiko, then looked at her inquisitively.

"Thanks for saving me, Tsikiko-san," she whispered.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. By the way, call me Tsikiko, Momomiya-san," Tsikiko said.

"Then call me Ichigo. No -chan needed, since that what just about everyone else calls me," Ichigo said, reaching up to shake hands since she couldn't bow. Tsikiko recognized the American gesture and shook it, then bowed since she was able.

"Ichigo, you're okay," Mint cried, hugging her. Ichigo smiled and hugged back.

"We were so worried," Lettuce told her, grabbing her hand.

"Ichigo-oneechan made us all worried sick, na-no-da," Pudding agreed, hugging Ichigo around the neck. Ichigo laughed weakly, which then turned into a cough. Zakuro frowned at her, then her gaze softened into a grin that told Ichigo that she was happy to have her teammate back. Ichigo grinned back and made a choking sound, which made Pudding and Mint release her.

"Akasaka, call the pilot. His number should be right by my laptop," Shirogane said. "We have to get you back to Tokyo as soon as possible so that we can analyze the alterations he made to your genes. We might be able to reverse them and then get you a new pendant."

"At one point when I woke up—they drugged me—I heard Pai talking about my transformation. He said that no matter when I transformed, even if you got me a new pendant, they would still be able to control me," Ichigo said sadly. She coughed and sat up. "This position is not comfortable when you have wings. Oh my god! I have... WINGS?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," Tsikiko said. "You didn't have them all the times you fought in Tokyo."

"Kishu or Pai or whoever it was must have changed my DNA again, using the DNA of a black winged bird," Akasaka said, pressing the "Dial" button on his phone.

"We'll figure all of this out later. Girls, help me get her down to the limo," Shirogane ordered. Akasaka handed Shirogane the phone and he started barking orders while packing up bags. Tsikiko and Lettuce both supported Ichigo since they were about the same height. They helped her to the elevator, the other Mew Mews following with their transformations undone.

"Hurry, before they come back! We have to get to the plane before they figure it out," Mint urged. Ichigo glanced at her and tried to stand on her own, but couldn't. They helped her out of the elevator and headed for the side door, unwilling to draw attention by going through the lobby. They made it to the limo in minutes, slamming the door behind them so that no one would get a glimpse of Ichigo. After all, it was ten o'clock at night.

"Shirogane should be here soon," Lettuce said, helping Ichigo buckle herself into a seat. They sat there in an awkward silence.

"So, Ichigo-oneechan, what did the aliens place look like?" Pudding asked. The rest of them glared at her. "What?"

"It was... strange, first of all. There was this floating platform that I stayed on since I couldn't fly. The rest of the place was just... green," Ichigo said, looking at her hands. The fog on her head from the drug was beginning to lift enough for her to start to wake up to her friends and memories. "Oh, once I jumped off that thing. I was hoping to go back home, maybe I would fall far enough and end up in a tree or something. I dropped like a rock," she added, sweat dropping. They all stared at her.

"I'm beginning to wish that you didn't ask questions like that, Pudding," Lettuce said.

"Don't we all?" Mint asked. Ichigo laughed softly and Mint smiled broadly.

"I'm kinda glad you asked. But, I can't remember much else. They had me drugged, most of the time," Ichigo said(crap, I say that a lot). Zakuro nodded.

"The original plan was to lure the aliens out and then have me teleport to others to wherever they teleported after we beat them," Tsikiko spoke up. "But, the other thing worked just as well, if not better. Teleporting is tiring when you get the ability from someone else's DNA."

"Wait—teleporting? Someone elses DNA? What are you talking about," Ichigo asked. Fortunately for Tsikiko, Shirogane and Akasaka chose that moment to open the doors of the limo and shout to the driver to go to the airport. "Are you merged with... Kishu, from when Margaret shot his hair? Oh my gosh—Margaret-san! What happened to her and the others?"

"Calm down, Ichigo," Shirogane said. "Yes, Tsikiko is merged with Kishu's DNA, and the DNA of the Bonneted Bat from Florida. Margaret and your friends are fine, don't worry. For now, why don't you be quiet and try to get some sleep that wasn't induced."

"O- okay," Ichigo stammered, leaning back. She winced as her wings were twisted. Shirogane put his head in his hands.

"What the he- heck- did they do to you?" he groaned. "How did they graft bird DNA into you, too? The sealant we used in the blast that gave you all powers should have prevented any alterations to your DNA!"

"I don't know, Ryou. For now, let's just accept it. Ichigo, you can unbuckle," Akasaka said. Ichigo gratefully unclasped the belt and stretched out on the seat like a cat. She winced when she strained one area that Pai had punched when she resisted. Mint noticed, since she was watching Ichigo like a hawk, making sure that she didn't drop dead.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, whenever I tried to give the aliens a hard time, Pai would... kinda hit me... hard, at that," Ichigo whispered. Mint looked angry.

"I'm gonna kill them," she hissed, too low for anyone to hear. But, Ichigo and Tsikiko both heard her, since Tsikiko was merged with the bat and Ichigo had her cat ears out. Ichigo sighed, her head throbbing.

"What do you think I'm sick with," Ichigo asked, looking up at Shirogane and Akasaka.

"I don't know, Ichigo," Akasaka said. "It could be a virus from Earth, or the aliens' world. It could be a side effect from the alterations made to your genes. I honestly don't know." Ichigo sighed.

"So, Tsikiko, where do you live," Ichigo asked, resting her head on her arms because of the pain. Tsikiko glanced at her, then grinned nervously.

"My parents... kinda died in a train accident. I've been living in orphanages for a few months. I was transferred here for the latest orphanage." Ichigo's face fell. "Demo!" Ichigo looked up at the word for "but!"

"But, your parents said that they would adopt me... if I helped to rescue you," Tsikiko murmured. Ichigo's face brightened and she sat up, biting her lip to keep from crying out at the pain.

"That's great! I've always wanted a sister! And now we've got two Mew's in the family! Tsikiko Momomiya, that sounds good," Ichigo said enthusiastically, a smile on her face. Tsikiko looked at her, her face bright.

"That's right. And that means that until we figure out what all this is about, you will be Ichigo's personal guard," Shirogane announced. Ichigo and Tsikiko looked toward him and Ichigo placed a hand on her head, wincing.

"What's wrong," Mint asked.

"Headache. It's just terrible..." Ichigo trailed off as it intensified even more. She grimaced and Shirogane unbuckled, rushing to her side. He placed a hand on her head and Ichigo slumped against the seat, wincing again at the pressure on her wings and head.

"We've gotta hurry. Akasaka, there should be an analyzer behind that panel. Bring that here," Shirogane said. "Hey, Mario! Hurry up!" Akasaka tossed a device that looked like a PDA toward Shirogane. He caught it and pulled up and antenna, then pointed it at Ichigo. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were glazed over as the device started beeping. Shirogane's eyes widened as he looked at the screen.

"What is it," Lettuce asked, eyes wide with concern. Shirogane bit his lip.

"The anomaly that's causing her sickness is a side effect of the many genes, and that combined with what looks like the flu... or something similar," he reported. "I think that Akasaka and I can treat it with the equipment we have back at the cafe, but we're going to have to keep our presence in Tokyo a secret so that Ichigo's parents don't suspect anything. We can tell them that they did genetic variations on Ichigo, but nothing else. Make sure that you say the culprit was killed while you were rescuing her, okay?"

"Okay," they all said, except for Zakuro who just nodded. The limo pulled up to the airport and Shirogane handed him a fistful of hundred dollar bills.

"Thank you," he said in English, then looked to Ichigo. "Oh, taking her through security is going to be difficult... Tsikiko, Mint, I need the two of you to carry her to the plane that we came her on. Mint, you'll recognize it."

"Mew Mew Minto-"

"Mew Mew Tsuki-"

"Metamorphosis," they both cried. Akasaka looked around outside the car for someone that would be suspicious of them.

"Good thinking to go to the private lot, Mario," he called.

"Ichigo, do you think that if we take off, you might be able to glide between us with your wings," Tsikiko asked.

"I hadn't thought of that. Good idea," Shirogane said. Ichigo nodded, wincing.

"Coast's clear. Let's go," Akasaka reported. Ichigo and the two others climbed out of the limo. Ichigo spread her wings and put on a determined face. Mint and Tsikiko jumped into the air, pulling Ichigo. She jumped and pushed down with her wings, then crashed into the ground. She moaned and Lettuce and Zakuro helped her up.

"Put her on top of the car. She should be able to jump off and glide then," Zakuro ordered. Shirogane and Akasaka helped her to get on the roof while Tsikiko and Mint hovered close by. They each took one of her hands. Ichigo jumped off the roof and started to fall, but the combined efforts of her friends and her hard down strokes with the wings allowed her to ascend.

"We'll meet you at the plane," Mint called back, keeping a good grip on Ichigo's wrist. Ichigo flapped her wings, keeping aloft. She closed her eyes and let her friends steer as the cool air caressed her warm face. Mint pulled them to the left and then circled above a white plane. She would have hovered if Ichigo could also. Slowly, they circled until they were a few feet above the ground. The two bird and bat Mew's stopped fly and Ichigo dropped. They kept strong grips on her arms and lowered her gently to the ground. Ichigo stumbled and had to lean against Tsikiko, who let her. The two draped Ichigo's arms over their shoulders and their transformations came undone.

"We have to go up the stairs to get to the door," Mint told them, pointing at the large staircase that lead to the plane's door. They helped Ichigo over to it and started climbing.

We're not out of the woods yet. Please, don't let the aliens show up now, Mint thought desperately.

Break

"So, what did you think of that? Ichigo?" Breezyfeather asks. Kishu looks guilty. "She still hasn't waken up yet?"

"Um, no?"

"Did you drug her AGAIN?" Breezyfeather shouts. Kishu get's an insane glint in his eyes.

"She's my kitten! No one else can have her! And now, she's coming with me," he shouts. Tsikiko glares at him and shoots something out of her wand. He yells and then glares at her. He gathers Ichigo in his arms and starts to teleport away, but Tsikiko grabs his leg and he falls. Mint catches Ichigo and walks away, seething.

"Oh, yeah, Mint, I did say that you can kill him. Just put Ichigo down and you can go and do that," Breezyfeather says. Mint grins and places Ichigo on the bed. Before Kishu teleports away, Runo tosses Mint her Gauntlet.

"Hit the button. Time'll stop," she calls. Mint presses the button and then time slows. Kishu and the others—except Runo—all freeze. Runo grins and walks slowly away. "Be sure to return that later," she tells her.

"No problem. Kishu, you have a beating to enjoy," she growls, walking toward him threateningly. Then, he vanishes. Mint's eyes widen.

"Kishu! I'm gonna get you," she shouts.